The Last Night
by emberslash
Summary: A double-shot sequel to Descent. Ty Lee and Azula are reunited on the eve of an execution order. Rated M to be safe.


For Ty Lee, Firelord Zuko's first and final mercy was granting Azula one last night of freedom. Seven years in a mental institution had done her well, but not well enough to absolve her of her war crimes. The Earth Kingdom especially craved her blood, aged perfectly for due punishment. All the years Ty Lee had spent fighting for her on the outside–all the late night visits and negotiations had become meaningless.

In his effort to distance himself from his father's image, Zuko had become a pushover, willing to pass anything into law to apologize for over one hundred years of ruthless colonialism. Though he would never admit to it, he allowed the pressure overwhelm him and direct his actions. He had his father executed when the search for Ursa had been fruitless and he held even fewer sympathies for his sister.

Not that the counts against the princess were negligible, but it seemed that no matter how many times Ty Lee recounted what she knew and what she saw, no one would understand. That and hearing the same pleas for seven years had grown tiring. The young Firelord wouldn't risk stirring more anger and possible rebellion by protecting the one remaining threat to peace.

Yet he afforded this recent kindness at the princess's request. The moment that Azula had been informed of her temporary and ironic freedom, she had immediately declared her desire to see Ty Lee. When Zuko explained this, Ty Lee hid both her exuberance and her disappointment that the Firelord hadn't done more. He never understood Azula like she did, nor did anyone else, and that was the unavoidable bitterness of this sweet reunion. How many nights had she kept meetings running until her throat felt raw, pleading for the best of the worst punishments? Zuko had known about Ty Lee's affections for the princess for many years now, but at least he never used that knowledge to disregard her statements as pure, emotional bias.

The short knocks on the door startled her and her chest tightened, but she dared not answer too eagerly. Zuko may not have cared about his sister's relationship with her, but he would probably have guards with him that didn't need to see something they could spread a rumor about. So, Ty Lee stood slowly from her bed. She passed through the door frame of her room and her bare feet scraped the stiff mats. She couldn't show a hint of extra excitement or apprehension. With each step, she breathed evenly as if she were back in the circus, performing in total darkness as the crowd watched her nimbly turn on a tightrope.

She reached the door and eased it open. There in front of her, with the setting sun adorning her head like a fiery crown stood princess Azula. For the first time in years, nothing but empty space separated them. No walls or visiting hours or physical contact rules or bars or prison guards. Zuko and two soldiers surrounded her, but they were peripheral specs in Azula's brilliance.

She looked disheveled, her black hair loose and hanging well past her shoulders. Maybe she had just woken up or maybe she didn't feel like doing her own hair. Although subdued, her eyes carried that confident, prideful spark that had totally captivated Ty Lee since that innocent day behind the waterfall. She wore a simple white robe, yet retained her regal elegance. The princess smirked ever so slightly while her eyes subtly surveyed Ty Lee's body. The others wouldn't notice such a minor gesture, but to Ty Lee, it contained years of words, spoken and unspoken. As time passed, they had perfected their methods of speaking without speaking since a guard or doctor always kept a close watch on Azula during Ty Lee's short visits. What the princess told her now made Ty Lee shiver. She remembered the tightrope. Steady breaths.

"It's good to see you, Azula," she said curtly.

"Yes, too bad it'll be the last time. My brother is such a ruthless monster, don't you think?"

The jarring statement snapped Ty Lee back to reality and she shifted her attention to Zuko for the first time. His lips pursed and his jaw clenched at the comment. Even with her head on the chopping block, Azula still managed to get under his skin and almost undo his constitution. If this were ten years ago and they were all just children playing in the courtyard, Ty Lee would've laughed.

"The guards will return in the morning for her," he said, directing a stern look at Ty Lee. "If she isn't here, I will have both of you hunted down. You're lucky I'm trusting you enough for this."

"I already agreed to your terms," said Ty Lee. "You don't have to repeat them."

"Anything to please the peasants of the Earth Kingdom," Azula said with a sigh. "Oh Zuzu, I thought you'd be a much better Firelord than this. The way you're headed, I'd say you're not much different from father, ready to kill anyone who disgraces you."

Zuko raised his hand. "That's enough, Azula. It's time for you to answer for your war crimes."

"And when will you answer for yours, oh honorable Firelord?"

Ty Lee stepped between them and held Azula's wrist. "Thank you for bringing her," she said, unable to look him in the face for very long. Tomorrow, he would kill her too, but he would never understand that. He would never have to answer for his crimes either, not like Azula and Ty Lee would.

In some ways, he wasn't much different from Azula. He too had to escape from a darkness that threatened to consume him, but most would say he triumphed where Azula failed. Firelord Zuko went from banished prince to esteemed hero in a little under a year while princess Azula descended from pristine royalty to a pitiful shell of her former self. Zuko tried so hard to separate himself from that monster. Ty Lee believed that he would do so by any means necessary and so far he hadn't proven her wrong.

She didn't expect him to. The years of pressuring and budging had ended.

Ty Lee stepped aside to allow Azula into the house. The Firelord and his guards bid them a brief farewell and left promptly, promising to return the next morning. Ty Lee sneered at their backs and if Azula wasn't waiting for her, she'd incapacitate them in three seconds flat. What if it were Mai in Azula's place? He would've offered anything to the Earth Kingdom to spare her life, yet he barely resisted for his own sister. She wanted to scream at him and make him realize how much of a sick coward he was. A competent Firelord wouldn't bend to anyone's will, much less citizens of the other nations.

Ty Lee closed the door behind her and leaned against it, taking a few breaths before opening her eyes to face Azula's staunch stare. Both heaviness and relief pressed down on her as seven years of advocation and resilience led to this brief beginning in the midst of a permanent end. Her fight would be over, but she'd still wake up two mornings from now.

The princess didn't give Ty Lee enough time to collect herself. Azula's thin fingers brushed her cheek and rested under her chin. At her touch, Ty Lee wavered. She finally looked at Azula's face, gentle in rare moments like this. A few tears escaped her and Azula wiped them away. Too many years had passed since they could be close like this and Ty Lee resented that it was just a torturous tease.

"Really, Ty Lee, this is how you greet me after all this time?" the princess said in a playful voice barely above a whisper, but Ty Lee knew she faked her bravery and lightheartedness. Azula always excelled at deception.

Ty Lee tried to be strong too. "I just. . .I miss you and–"

Azula kissed her and suddenly she was fourteen again. The war was only a game that could never be as real as lazy days in Earth Kingdom waterfalls. When Azula pulled away, Ty Lee grabbed her waist and brought her close again. As long as she could help it, she would eliminate any space between them.

"You got feisty over the years," Azula said with a smirk.

"Yeah, what else did you expect?" Ty Lee tugged at the princess's robe and kissed her neck. She would be strong and savor this. Azula gasped a little, but allowed Ty Lee to continue, scratching her lower back to encourage her. Ty Lee further loosened Azula's robe and pressed against her. She needed the contact to make sure she wasn't dreaming. The familiar tangles enveloped them, and though the tangles had weakened over the years they still relentlessly tied Ty Lee to Azula, confirming for Ty Lee that this was her last night as well. Remembering the tightrope, she led them both into her bedroom. Now was not the time to fall apart.

Then Azula took over, ravaging Ty Lee's mouth and aptly removing her outfit. She missed this. Several years of nothing but subtle eye contact had only let them build energy without the chance to release it. Ty Lee reveled in the closeness, every inch of her skin sensitive to Azula's touch. For a little while at least, she stopped thinking about life after tomorrow and the things Azula told her with every kiss or gentle brush almost made Ty Lee cry again.

An hour later, they were still entangled, but resting. Ty Lee tucked her head under Azula's chin and Azula stroked Ty Lee's back. Ty Lee hadn't felt this relaxed in years and drifted into a trance, hearing only her breathing in rhythm with Azula's.

"So, what's your plan to get me out of here?" said the princess.

Ty Lee stiffened. Of course that question was bound to come and she had spent the past week thinking through every possible scenario, but they all ended in Azula's death. With all four nations against her in some way or another, the princess wouldn't be able to escape for long. So, Ty Lee said nothing, but that was enough for Azula.

"Oh please. Don't tell me Zuko's intimidated you that much."

"Things are different now, Azula. He's the Firelord." She didn't have the energy to explain things further than that. Azula knew nothing of the long meetings she'd had with Zuko and how surprisingly stern he was. She could only fight for so long, and since no one in the world but her seemed to have any sympathies left for the princess, she had been constantly shut down. Zuko had even intimidated the Avatar enough for him to back down, insisting that he shouldn't use his Avatar status to undermine his already undermined position as Firelord. The politics made Ty Lee's head spin and since Azula never once feared her brother for any reason, she wouldn't see why anyone else did.

"Well, you've betrayed a far worse Firelord before, haven't you?"

Ty Lee's throat tightened and her vision blurred as all of her regrets and anxieties came pouring back into her. That was the catch that kept her going through the years. Despite their reconciliation, Ty Lee still often blamed herself for Azula's descent. She had made a promise to fight for the princess's life while Azula was locked away. Had she given up so easily? Or was it just that her affections for a tyrannical princess automatically pitted her in a losing battle? She clung to Azula and tried to stop the tears. She needed to be strong, but every fear surfaced again.

"Hush. I'm sorry," Azula said, her voice barely above a whisper. She cradled Ty Lee as Ty Lee quivered to control her tears. "I accepted my fate a long time ago. Just because I was locked up for seven years doesn't mean I don't know where all the power has gone now. I am this world's enemy."

Ty Lee took a few deep breaths, then pulled away and looked at Azula. "You were never my enemy."

"You might be the only one," Azula sighed, brushing the hair from Ty Lee's face.

Contented, Ty Lee tucked her head under Azula's chin and the two remained silent for awhile. Ty Lee closed her eyes, focusing on the softness of the princess's skin and the warmth of her body. Azula caressed Ty Lee's braid, gracing her with a rare gentleness she wouldn't give to anyone else. Distantly, Ty Lee knew that the hours were quickly passing, but the darkness lingered outside and neither of them were keeping the time.

She found herself drifting as her emotional and physical exhaustion took its toll. Besides, she always felt safe in Azula's arms. She felt the beach, the sand beneath her skin, and the ocean behind her. They were momentarily invulnerable, existing outside of reality.

Azula's lips pressed against her forehead, then her nose.

"Don't fall asleep on me yet."

Ty Lee opened her eyes and then Azula kissed her deeply with that same desperation that had hooked Ty Lee for good. This was Azula's honesty.

"If the Earth Kingdom really wanted to punish me, they'd have you killed instead," she said at length.

Ty Lee smiled. "Then no one would be left to protect you."

"I don't need protection," Azula scoffed. "I'm a fire bending prodigy."

"I've always protected you," Ty Lee said and brushed Azula's face with her fingers. "Or tried to at least."

"Don't pretend like you're such a hero." Azula's voice lacked the harshness that statement would normally carry. "You were ready to let me kill you once. How could you have protected me if I had succeeded?"

Ty Lee sighed. "That's why I said tried. You're right, though. I'm a coward."

"Wrong again, Ty Lee." Azula paused, then stroked Ty Lee's cheek. "You're the bravest person I know."

Azula's eyes pierced her as she spoke. It was a sentiment Ty Lee knew vaguely from their kisses, but never something the princess would dare speak. Maybe now, she finally felt like she had nothing to lose and her honesty only prompted Ty Lee to voice her own secrets.

When would she ever have the chance again?

"I always knew it was never your fault—the way you were—are. There was a spot in your aura and I knew that's where it all came from. That's why I could never leave."

Azula let the revelation sink in and Ty Lee witnessed a peace on her face that she had never seen before.

"I trusted you because you always seemed to understand and you were always. . .there." Azula voiced a truth she had always known, but never accepted until now. Ty Lee felt it and heard it in the way the princess's words sounded more like breaths.

"Yeah, I was. Even when you thought I wasn't. I've tried telling you that for years."

"I know," Azula said. "Out of everyone in the world, it was always you. You were the only one who could handle it all. Thank you for everything."

The implied farewell reminded her of the coming day, but Azula had never been this forward before. Maybe Ty Lee had brought some healing after all. Maybe the sunset talks in the courtyard and Earth Kingdom waterfalls and prison cells and sleepless nights added up to this.

"I love you," the princess said, voicing another truth that reordered the fragments.

* * *

**A/N: **Here it is after many months. For the curious, I listened to Alexi Murdoch's "Blue Mind" about a hundred times while editing this, hence the title. Chapter 2 will come at a time followed by another sequel because I guess I'm writing some kind of dramatic saga for these two or something-a saga of extremely short chapters.


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